Lawsuit filed against DCF by sister of Nubia Barahona

Suit alleges negligence on behalf of DCF, agency's workers

MIAMI – The sister of a South Florida girl who died while in the custody of their adoptive parents has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Children and Families.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Miami-Dade County court on behalf of the 11-year-old girl referred to as "J.B.," claims negligence on the part of the agency and three of its workers who were in charge of checking on the Barahona family. 

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READ: Barahona Sister Files Lawsuit Against DCF

Her parents, Jorge and Carmen Barahona, were arrested after the body of her sister, Nubia, was found in the back of a truck on Interstate 95 in West Palm Beach on Valentine's Day 2011. Her twin brother, Victor, was also found in the car, with chemical burns to much of his body. 

J.B. was placed in the care of the Barahonas in 2004, when she was 7 months old.

The lawsuit alleges that DCF had "ample cause to remove J.B. and her three adoptive siblings from the abusive parents' home, but failed to do so." 

According to the lawsuit, J.B. suffered irreparable damage at the hands of her adoptive parents.

Jorge and Carmen Barahona are in jail awaiting trial. 

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